The evolution of consciousness: Olfaction first, vision later?
Behavioral and Brain Sciences June 25, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x25102860 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Animals Humans Consciousness Visual perception Smell Vision, ocular Biological evolution |
| Key points | Argues that an olfaction-first account of consciousness, in which conscious vision co-opted integrative mechanisms first evolved for modeling the causes of olfactory stimuli, makes good sense of the connection between consciousness and holistic integration across temporal windows in the roughly 400 ms range, and is preferable to a vision-first story. |
Abstract
In a vision-first story, conscious vision evolved before other kinds of conscious experience. This can be contrasted with an olfaction-first story, in which conscious vision co-opted integrative mechanisms that first evolved for modeling the causes of olfactory stimuli. An olfaction-first story makes good sense of the connection between consciousness and holistic integration across temporal windows in the ∼400ms range.